The Scent Of You
by OneSidedLoveStory
Summary: They say that the sense of smell is the sense most connected with emotional memory. Neji had never been too attentive when it comes to smells, but some in particular trigger memories and remind him of thing he tries to forget.NejiHina Rating might go up.
1. White Peonies

"_I__f this is giving up, then I'm giving up, giving up on love, on love."_

_**-Wreck of the Day**__, Anna Nalick_

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They say that the sense of smell is the sense most connected with emotional memory. Neji Hyuuga hadn't given it another thought when he had heard it, and as most information he found useless, it was quickly forgotten and stored away somewhere in his head.

He had never been a man to particularly care for the smells of things, save for the very rare occasion it would be needed to complete a mission. But now, for the first time in his life, a certain scent caught Neji's attention. So much so, that it made him stop in his tracks.

Walking by the Yamanaka Flower Shop always offered an array of smells, but the best were always around this time of the year. In spring, the flowers outside always had the most appealing fragrances, but this one stopped Neji in his tracks. It was the scent of Peonies, and it completely distracted him from his everyday tasks and caused him to reminisce on a time he had tried to forget.

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White Peonies were the flower of choice for the event that had had the entire Hyuuga family on their toes. In Japan, the Peony is called the 'Prime Minister of Flowers', and so he found it very fitting when it was chosen for his wedding day.

Everything about it reminded Neji of his soon-to-be wife.

The White Peony is not a loud flower. It does not demand attention; there are no flamboyant colors or anything that would make you stop to look at it. In the language of flowers, the peony represents shame or bashfulness. But, if you did stop to look at it, you would see that it is anything bit dull.

It is simple, yes, but extraordinary. It is gentle, modest, but most of all, pure. But Neji didn't like it. Neji didn't like how a flower with so much potential was so fragile and delicate. So weak.

Yes, everything about it reminded him of Hinata.

Neji and Hinata were not two people in love. They were two cousins with a very weak friendship _until _the mention of insuring there would be a strong heir was thrown around by the council.

Hiashi wasn't getting any younger, and with Hinata being who she was, they were certain they would need one as soon as possible. As for whom the father would be, it took them very little time to settle on the clan prodigy. If Neji was the father that would ensure their offspring had a strong Byakugan, good chakra control, overall good genes and everything desired in an heir.

As the ceremony had begun, so had what little of a relationship the two cousins might've had. Every bit of friendship had been melted away along with the last of the impure snow.

On that beautiful spring day, the long awaited marriage of the Heiress was upon the Hyuugas, and every one of them showed for the ceremony. They all sat quietly during the part of the ceremony and watched attentively as two people who would've much rather said "I don't." were joined for the good of the clan.

Neji remembered how he wished the people at the reception would just leave him and Hinata alone so he could get a moment with her, maybe talk like a civilized person about this betrothal that had been thrust upon them. But when the crowd had finally gone, Hiashi had given Neji a final warning about hurting his daughter in any way, and the newlyweds were left to themselves, he would trade all the people for this in an instant.

The room that he was expected to sleep in for the next few years, if not forever, was beautiful and extravagant. The walls were a dark shade of red, the bed's new white comforter and red pillows were expensive looking. He had mused that the Branch members never got anything this luxurious for their rooms. But then again, what good is being comfortable in an uncomfortable situation?

As Neji took in the room, his new wife had stumbled to the bed, sitting on the edge and taking off her high heeled shoes. She placed them very neatly beside the door before taking her spot on the bed once again. She sat there, looking at her hands which, uncharacteristically, were not fumbling around. He could tell she was focused on the ring and had wondered if she felt caged.

No matter how much he disliked the situation and no matter how much he disliked her, he could not deny that she look beautiful tonight. Her dress hung off her shoulders and her hair falling over them in cascading curls. Sakura had done a good job with her hair and had even gotten her to wear makeup.

He kept his eyes on her, and she fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze. "Hinata, are we going to be adult about this?" He had said after quite some time, not wanting to be the first to talk but knowing she wouldn't speak first. His eyes met hers for a quick second before she turned her attention to the floor, tears staining her face. He could read her too easily, and what he saw on her features was pure despair.

That night Neji was sure Hinata was going to fall off the bed, she was so close to the side. He had lay in his new bed, the silk covers feeling soft on his skin, thinking about everything that had happened today. The small and quiet sound of his new wife crying eventually died down to a steady breathing. Soon after, he had fallen asleep himself.

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This was the memory that Peonies brought to mind, and it wasn't a very fond memory at that. But he couldn't help but linger a little too long in the smell now, because the feeling was bittersweet and he had to admit, he loved Peonies now.

They represented everything that reminded him of Hinata, after all.

They are simple, but extraordinary. They're gentle, modest, and pure.

But most of all, beautiful.

They were his favorite flower.

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Hello, I hope you're enjoying the story! This was kind of an introduction, I guess. But please** REVIEW** if you're looking forward to the next chapter, it'll make me update a whole lot faster. Thank you!

PS: Yes, this _will_ be a NejiHina. Just wait and see.  
Toodles!


	2. Green Tea and Chamomile

"_Driving away from the wreck of the day  
And the light's always red in the rear-view._"

**-Wreck of the Day, **_Anna Nalick_

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Training had never been a burden to the Hyuuga prodigy. In fact, some people thought it was his favorite pastime. That wasn't true. He enjoyed bettering himself, but training was something you had to do in this line of work. Just because he took his job seriously, didn't mean it was his _favorite_ thing to do. But, nevertheless, he did it every day, and today was no exception.

He had avoided the Yamanaka Flower Shop today, taking the longer way to the training grounds instead. He told himself he just didn't feel like walking that way, justifying the decision. So instead today, he passed through the shopping district, where the streets were lined with people laughing and family owned restaurants were making a fortune from the hungry citizens of Kohona.

Neji frowned as someone bumped into him, not even bothering to apologize. His eyes followed the rude stranger as he entered a tea shop. The aroma from the place was so strong, he swore he could taste it. It was green tea and an unplacable hint of something else, maybe chamomile. He remembered when he used to train with Hiashi, there would always be tea waiting for him when he was finished.

'Hinata made excellent tea,' he thought absentmindedly. Neji observed as a couple of laughing girls wandered into the shop, probably to sit and talk about the latest fashion or whatever girls talked about. He never payed much attention to gossip, if any at all, and the one time he had overheard girls in conversation at a tea shop, the subject was a little too close to home to not listen in.

It was a rainy night only been two days after the marriage, and Hinata was late. This was very un-Hinata-like, and it didn't sit right with Neji. It wasn't that he was worried, it was that if it hadn't been his job to protect her before, it certainly was now seeing as she was his_ wife_. The word had echoed through the man's head, still so new and foreign.

They weren't acting like a married couple.

They didn't feel like a married couple.

The only thing that proved it wasn't a bad dream was the silver band on their fingers.

But in any case, Neji set out to find his_ wife _and get her home before midnight. After picking up an umbrella, he easily found her thanks to his Byakugan, and was about to enter the teashop when he overheard the conversation between his cousin and her loud friends.

"So, Hinata, what's it like being _married_?" Sakura finished in a sing song voice.

"To you cousin." Ino added under her breath, receiveing a kick from both Sakura and Tenten.

"Well, it's true…"The blonde mumbled quietly before joining the other two girls in staring down the heiress.

"U-Uh, w-w-well, I-I-I," Neji could tell she was blushing withut even looking at her. She was _always_ blushing.

"He's not making you do… stuff, is he?" Sakura interrupted, wide eyed. Thankfully, Tenten spoke up.

"Neji's not like that; I've known him for ever."

"That's all you know, Tenten. Face it, he's cold as stone. Even if you are one of his closest friends, you probably don't know more about him than Ino or I." The medic nin nodded was she spoke.

"Oh, okay. So you know everything about Sasuke, huh?"

The sound of a chair being knocked over reached the eavesdropping man.

"Don't even go there Tenten!"

"Yeah, Tenten, don't bring Sasuke into this! This is about Hinata and her abusive husband!"

A chorus of two loud voices and one very quiet one yelled out the blonde's name.

'_Abusive husband?'_ Neji now knew why Tenten was the only girl he spoke to often.

"A-All of you, s-stop!"

It was eerily quiet suddenly, because Hinata didn't speak up often, and when she did, people listened. Neji had never heard her raise her voice to anyone before, so this was new to him. He had never seen the way she acted around her friends before, and he found himself wanting to know what she was going to say.

"N-N-Neji-nii-san is n-not abusing m-me, n-nor is h-he make m-me do..do,"

She took a short breath.

"S-s-stuff. He is a v-very s-strong ninja a-and a v-very r-respectable m-man. I am h-honoured to be m-m..married to him. H-He will m-make a w-wonderful s-second in command f-for the c-clan one day."

The conversation continued, but Neji didn't grasp any of it. He was stuck on what Hinata had said about him, half wondering whether she meant it, and half wondering why he cared. So what they were married? They would be expected to produce an heir and show up together at formal ceremonies, but never to show affection for one another. Neji wasn't sure Hinata could even survive the making of the heir; she'd probably die of embarrassment. In fact, Neji wasn't sure Hinata even knew what sex was.

"Yeah but Hinata, what about Naruto? Aren't you like, in love with the guy?"

An awkward silence fell upon the girls as Sakura muttered something along the lines of, "I told you not to bring him up, Ino."

It was quiet for about two minutes before Neji decided to make an entrance.

"Well, if it isn't Kohona's least eligible married guy?"

"Hello to you too, Tenten." Neji replied to his teammate before turning to Hinata.

"Hinata-sama, I didn't expect you to be out so late. If I had known you were out with your friends, I wouldn't have come."

Sakura smiled at the genius. "Aw, that's cute." She turned to her furiously blushing friend. "He missed you and was worried you were hurt or freezing outside in the rain or-"

"Or I d-didn't let him kn-know I was staying out late, S-Sakura-chan." She smiled a strained smile to her friend, clearly noting the annoyance that hang in the air around Neji. She turned to the intimidating man very formally and bowed. "I'm sorry, N-Neji-nii-san, I d-didn't notice the t-time. It w-won't happen again." Hinata tried her best to keep from poking her fingers together as she looked everywhere but Neji's face. She still hadn't made eye contact; she wasn't ready to make eye contact yet.

"It's not you who need reporting to me, Hinata-sama." He replied without thinking, straining the formal suffix a little. "Are you ready to go?"

"A-Ah, yes. T-thank you for a w-wonderful t-time, S-Sakura-chan, Ino-chan, T-Tenten-chan."

"Ah, no problem!" The pink haired kunoichi offered a big smile. "We should all get together again soon!" Ino and Tenten nodded in agreement.

"I'd l-like t-that." Hinata smiled at her friends as Neji put an umbrella in her hands. She was startled, and looked up at him.

"It's raining." He offered simply. Hinata looked up at him worriedly.

"B-but y-you might c-catch a c-cold!" It was in Hinata's nature to worry about everyone else before herself. Neji hated that she was so kind sometimes.

"It's better me than you, Hinata-sama. And besides, I have a strong immune system. I insist." He nodded to the umbrella, and she nodded slowly, opening it.

"W-Well, g-goodbye e-everyone!" And with a final smile offered to the three other kunoichi, Hinata and Neji were walking away.

The three girls watched as the newlyweds walked three feet apart from one another, as if touching the other person would make them explode.

After a few moments, Ino made a comment that resulted in her getting two punches on the arm.

"You think they're going to call each other Neji-nii-san and Hinata-sama in bed?"

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Neji smiled when he remembered how Hinata had finally coaxed him under the umbrella with her, and how she caught a little cold the next day. Shaking his head, he continued to the training grounds. Hopefully it wouldn't take him too long to get there, or Lee might challenge him to a few hundred laps around the village.

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Well, that's chapter two. I know, it's written in a different context, but there's more dialogue, so this was the best way I could do that. Please R&R if you want updates faster!


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